1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention generally pertains to an air handler and more specifically to an air handler connected to a reconfigureable electrical distribution system.
2. Description of Related Art
Air handlers typically condition the air of a comfort zone, such as a room or area within a building, and can assume a variety of configurations. Many air handlers include a fan or blower to move the air across a heat exchanger, such as an evaporator or condenser of a heat pump or some other refrigeration system. They can also include a variety of other components or accessories, such as an electrostatic air cleaner and/or supplemental electric heaters. Unfortunately, the variety of configurations can create a problem for an electrician installing the equipment.
For example, when an electrostatic air cleaner is to be added to an air handler having an electric heater, a 115 or 230-volt outlet may not be available for the air cleaner. Since installing such an outlet adds to the time and cost of the air cleaner""s installation, an electrician may consider wiring the air cleaner in parallel with the 115 or 230-volt electric heater. However, such an approach often violates national and local electrical codes, as the current draw of a heater is usually much higher than that of an air cleaner. Consequently, an air cleaner""s lighter gage wiring may be inadequately protected against current overload (e.g., a short circuit) when it is connected in parallel with a heater""s heavier gage wiring. This is especially true when the heavier wiring is protected by a circuit breaker that is appropriate for the heavier wiring but oversized for the lighter wiring.
To facilitate the installation of air handlers of various configurations, it is an object of the invention to provide a power distribution system that is reconfigureable by way of selectively connectable plug-in connectors.
Another object of the invention is to safely connect lighter gage wiring of an air handler accessory in parallel with an electric heater having heavier gage wiring.
Another object is to provide a three-way electrical connector that reconfigures an air handler to accept various accessories.
Yet another object is to provide a reconfigureable plug-in connector that conveys both control voltage and higher power voltage.
A further object of the invention is to effectively protect both lighter and heavier gage wiring with a common circuit breaker.
A still further object is to avoid the time and cost of installing an additional electrical outlet dedicated to power an accessory of an air handler.
These and other objects of the invention are provided by an air handler that includes a blower associated with a first plug-in connector that is selectively connectable to a second plug-in connector of a heater and a third plug-in connector of an electric accessory to selectively reconfigure the air handler.